June 24, 2023

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on One Year Anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson

Washington DC -- Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-12) issued the following statement one year after the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization:

“One year ago today, the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade triggered an avalanche of harm, chaos, and confusion, leaving millions of Americans without abortion access. By leaving abortion rights in the hands of individual states, the GOP is harming America’s most marginalized groups. One in three women—plus trans and nonbinary people—have lost access to abortion. And those people are disproportionately Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, LGBTQ+, people with low incomes, people with disabilities, and those in rural communities.

“But make no mistake: eight in ten Americans support legal abortion in some form. The people are on our side.

“The Pro-Choice Caucus has been working tirelessly to restore this fundamental freedom. This week, Reps. DeGette, Chu and I filed a discharge petition to force Speaker McCarthy to bring the Women’s Health Protection Act up for a vote so we can restore every American’s fundamental right to abortion care. We’re putting every member of the House on record: either they support a person’s right to reproductive care by signing this petition, or they do not.

“People—not politicians—should have the freedom to make their own health care decisions. Until this is reflected in law, I will not give up.”